Numerous different types of generator assemblies for application to absorption refrigeration systems are known including generator assemblies which are powered by natural gas or other types of gaseous fuel. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,659 issued in the name of Christensen, et al. Also, the use of cyclone-type burner assemblies in a variety of applications are well known. Representative known cyclone-type burner assemblies include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,436 issued in the name of Shigeta for a distillation device, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,251 issued in the name of Brashears for a drying kiln, U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,906 issued in the name of Shurygin et al. for incinerating fluid industrial waste, U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,414 issued in the name of Schmidt for heat-treating metal ingots or billets, U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,018 issued in the name of Furkert for melting metal, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,672,084 issued in the name of Press for domestic furnaces.
We have discovered that a cyclone-type burner may be advantageously combined with an absorption refrigeration system generator, particularly a generator having a generally vertical, boiling pot element with a high length to diameter aspect ratio, to prevent a "slugging" action which would otherwise occur and which impedes the flow of concentrated refrigerant solution from the generator assembly to the system absorber component. Also, we have further discovered that, when properly integrated with the system boiling pot element and cyclone burner combination, a novel dilute solution preheater element will further improve the thermal efficiency of separating refrigerant from dilute refrigeration solution for subsequent condensation apart from the system generator assembly.
Still other advantages of the invention will become apparent from a careful consideration of the specification and drawings which follow.